Process of smelting refractory ores and producing ferro-alloys.



No. 855,478. PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907*.

E. F. PRICE. EPRAGTORY GRES AND PRODUGING APPLIOATION FILED NOV.. 14. 1905.

Pocgss 0F SMBLTING R PERRQ ALLOYS.

\ `lllllllllllllIl-lllllllll' *simian arenas seafarer @eration Ene-*As r. Paicnjor NIAGARA'FALLS, New roert. Peccsss 0F smmme Hrm/moer 'GRES AND PRcDUcfNe Farao-Altova no. essere;

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented .T une 4, 190'?.

.application tiled November 14, 1995. .Serial No. 287,342.

To LEZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that'l, EDGAR F. PRICE, a citi- Zen of theUnited States, residing at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented 'certain new and useful improvements in Processes of Smelting Refractory Orcs and Producing Ferro- Alloys, of which the following is a specification. 1 f

According to the present process,

acharge of a refractory ore and a reducing agent is progressively -sinelted by an electricallyheated resistance-conductor, and the reduced metal or allo is delivered into a receptacle which is shifted to withdraw itscontents from the The charge is preferably employed as theresistan-ce conductor, being" sup orted in a stack furnace in-the form of a ownwardlyconverging'vertioal column, the upper and lower portions of whichare in contact With ring-electrodes. The hearth or crucible vof the furnace is movable: As it becomes filled with the molten product, it is moved laterally from beneath the furnace to\a point of discharge. Duplicate hearths may be employed, the lled one being shifted away' while an empty one is simultaneously moved beneath the furnace. A

Referring to the accompanying drawing- Figure l is an axial section of a suitable resistance furnace; and Fig. 2 is an axial section of the lower end of a resistance furnace having a modified hearth.V

The furnace shown in Fig. 1 is a vertical stack comprising a downwardly-converging body 1 of a refractory Vnonconducting material, such as magnesia or siloxicon iirebrick, at the upper and lowerends of which are carbon electrode-rings 2, 3. The body and-upper electrode are surrounded .by iron Waterjackets 4, 5, between which is interposed an insulating ring 6. The upper .water-jacket 4, is in contact with the electrode 2 and has an electric terminal 7. The lower electrode 3 is supported in a Water-jacketed steel casting 8 having an electric terminal 9. The casting 8 has lateral extensions 10 and its lower face is flat and'smooth. The upper endof the fur.- nace is closed by a conical iron ring 11 and a belland hopper charging-mechanism 12.

rl `he furnace-body, with its electrodes and water-jackets, is supported upon pillars 13. Beneath the furnace body andl closing its lower open end is a separate hearth or `crucil ble 14, the upper edge of which is flat and Vter-supply and discharge pipes.

product remaining in the furnace.

inverting it, and is thenready to makes a tight `ioint with the lower face of the casting S and its extensions l0. The hearth l-l is supported and arranged to reciprocate laterally on a .horizontal bed-plate 15 or other suitable support.v The hearth preferably consists of a rectangular steel casting, having a refractory lining and containing a chamber which is connected to flexible Wahearth 1e is also supported on thebed-plate 1,5. At opposite sides ofthe furnace are long fiuid-pressure cylinders 16, l6, the piston rods 17, .17 of whichhaveheads bear against the outer surfaces able hearths lll, 14.

ln employing this furnace to carry out the ofthe mov- `-vprocess, a charge which is electrically conuctive or which will be gonverted intoa conductor by the temperature of the furnace-for example, a mixture of chromite and carbon for the production of ferrochromium-is fed into the stach. until its upper portion lies in contact with the upper electrede-ring.` lf the charge is normally a poor conductor, initial current-paths between the electrodes are provided. The conductivity of the charge may be'increased by using a mixture containing large pieces of polie,

lwhich lie in contactwith each other at rarious points; An elec-tric current of sufficient amperage is then passed between the electrodes and through the charge, serving as a resistanceconductor. The charge is thereby heated, its temperature gradually rising downward by reason of the decreasing crosssection. and increasing current-density, to a zone Where the materials react and the resulting alloy is brought into a molten conditionK The product gradually accumulates in the movable hearth 14 andwh'en this is nearly filled, the pusher 17 of the cylinder 16 is actuated to move the du licate hearth le beneath and in contact wit the lower face of 4the casting 8 and against the side of the hearth 14. The continued movement of the pusher then forces the hearth 14 with its charge gradually out from beneath the' bot.

tom of the furnace-chamber and simultaneously moves the du licate hearth 14into position. The hear 14 is discharged, as by replace the duplicate hearth ,14' when the latter is filled, the cylinder 16 and its piston rod 1,7` being actuated to move the hearth 14 into its original.. position. Water, li uid ammonia or other cooling medium is circulated through A duplicate arranged to,

IOO

' coming section 18.

the chambers' of the water-jackets, casting S and hearths, throughout the process, and fresh charge-materials are fed into the furnace as required. I

Fig. 2 shows the lower end of a furnace which is identical in its general construction with that of Fig. 1, but which has a hearth. consisting of an open trough 18, divided transversely into a number of abutting sections. The sections are arranged to slide on a bedplate 15, with the fiat upper faces of their sides in contact with the lower faces of the casting 8l and. its extensions 10. The sections preferably have cooling chambers and may be-lined, like the pan-hearths 14. A transve'rse water-cooled dam or partition 19 depends from the casting S and makes close.

contact with the bottom and sides of the trough-sections, thereby preventing the molten fiirnace-product from flowing into the in4 1n operation, the row of abutting trough-sections is either continu- 'n ously or intermittently moved along the bedlate and beneath the open bottom of the urnace, and the molten product Hows into and fills the trough, the portion lying within the dotted lines 20 remaining liquid or plastic While the portion filling the outgoing section 18 is solid or sufficiently rigid to prevent leakage from the furnace. tion leaves the furnace, its contents is broken or cut off from that in the succeeding section and it is then emptied and transferred tothe rearof the line of sections.

I claim n 1. The process which consists in electrically smelting a charge containing a refractory ore, by means of'anelectrically-heated resistance-conductor, accumulating a body of the product, a portion of said body lying within a movable receptacle and a portion within the smelting chamber, and shifting the receptacle and thereby withdrawing its contents from the portion remaining in thel furnace, as set forth.

2. The process which consists in progressively smelting a charge containing a refractory ore, by means of an electrically-heated resistance-conductor, accumulating a body of the product, a portion of said body lying Within a movable receptacle and a portion within the smelting chamber, shifting the re` ceptacle and thereby withdrawing its contents from the portion remaining in the furnace, moving an empty receptacle into position, and supplying charge-materials as required, as set forth. A

3. The process which consists in progressively smelting a charge containing a refractory ore, by passing an electric current through the charge, serving as a resistanceconductor, accumulating a body of the product, a portion of said body lying within a movable receptacle and a portion within the smelting chamber, shifting the receptacle'and As each filled secthereby withdrawing its contents from thei portion remaining in the furnace, moving an empty receptacle into position, and su plying charge-materials as required, asset ortli.

4. The process of producing ferro-alloys, which consists in smeltifiga charge containing a refractory ore of the alloying metal, a reducing agent and a source of iron, by means of an electrically-heated resistance-conductor, accumulating a body of the product, a portion of said body lying within a movable receptacle and a portion within the smelting chamber, and shiftin the receptacle and thereby withdrawing its contents from, the portion remaining in the furnace, as set forth. 5. The process of producing, ferro-alloys, which consists in progressively charge containing a refractoryore of the alloying metal, a reducing agent and. a source of iron, by means of an electric ally-heated resistance conductor, accumulating a body of the product, a portion of said body lyingwithin a movable receptacle and a portion within the smelting chamber, shifting the receptacle and .thereby withdrawing its contents from the portion remaining in the furnace, moving an empt receptacle into position, and supplying c arge-materials as reiceptacle and a portion within the smelting chamber, shifting'the receptacle and thereby withdrawing its contents from the portion remaining in the furnace, moving an empty receptacle intolposition, and su plying chargematerials as required, as set orth.

smelting a roo 7. Theprocess of producing ferrochro- I mium, which consists in smelti-n a charge containing a chromium compounr carbon and IlO a source of iron, by means of an electricallyheated resistance-conductor, accumulating a body of the product, -a portion of saidbody lying within a movable receptacle and a ortion within the smelting chamber, and-s ifting the receptacle and thereby withdrawing its contents from the portion remaining in the furnace, as set forth.

8. 'The process of producing ferrochromium, which consists in progressively smelt- Iing a charge containing a chromium compound, carbon and a source of iron, by means of an electrically-'heated resistance-conductor, accumulating a body of the product, a portion .of said body lying within a movablel receptacle and a portion within the smelting chamber, shifting the receptacle and therelby withdrawing its contents from the portion remaining in the furnace, moving an empty receptacle into position,'and supplving charge-nmtorials as require-d, as set forth.

9. The process of producing ferroclnomiuxn, which consiste in electrically smelting a charge Containing a chromium compound, carbon 'and a. Source of iron7 by passing an elect-ric current through the charge, Serving as a resistance conductor, accumulating abofly of the product, a portion of said body lying 'within a movable receptacle and a portion Within the Snieltingchamber7 shifting the receptacle and thereby withdrawing its conquired, as set forth.

In testimony whereof, l my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

EDGAR F. PRICE. Vitnesses:

G. E. Cox, D. BURGESS. 

